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Green Building Certification - Overview

Scope:

National green building certification programs have evolved over recent years, and were initially focused on commercial construction. During the same time period, state-level residential green building programs were developed, and have since demonstrated their positive impact on a family's home. Recently, a few national home-based green building programs have been unveiled.

Regardless of the program or its focus, a green building certification program typically evaluates the building as a "System," meaning only the building as a whole can be certified. Each program can have different requirements for the individual building components used.

The various building certification programs reference product-specific programs when evaluating the "green" value of building components; Energy Star and FSC are examples of such programs that focus on appliances and timber resources, respectively.

Purpose:

The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive defines Green Building as "the practice of 1) increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials, and 2) reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal - the complete building life cycle" ⁽¹⁾.

Building System Evaluation

Three nationally recognized green home rating systems are LEED® for Homes, NAHB - National Green Building Program, and Green Globes. There are over 70 other local and regional green home building programs across the country. Each of these programs are unique, but they have a common goal of recognizing homes that are more energy efficient, create less waste, and are healthier for the people living inside.

In general, Green Building Certification programs use a rating system to determine if a building can be certified as "Green." These rating systems evaluate all aspects of the building design and construction process, and points are assigned for specific features. Specific details can vary between the rating systems of different organizations, but in general, building are evaluated for:

Building site (construction in existing developments; near public transportation and shopping)
Landscaping (erosion control, rain-water recovery systems used, low-water-consumption vegetation)
Energy Efficiency (building orientation for best efficiency, use of efficient insulation and mechanical systems, etc.)
Construction Materials (Re-used materials, engineered wood products, energy-efficient wall construction)
Indoor Air Quality (Design to reduce carbon monoxide, approved heating systems)
Water Conservation (Low-consumption appliances, greywater recovery)
Recycling (reduce, re-use, or recycle construction waste, include recycling bins throughout building design)
Builder (maintains and promotes green building practices, use suppliers who offer green materials)
Efficient Use of Space (smaller square footage, multi-use spaces, design flexibility for future expansion)

Evaluation of Individual Products

Wood products are addressed in green certification programs in three ways:

Indoor Air Quality (Formaldehyde Emissions) - Wood products that utilize moisture-resistant adhesives are considered to be low-emitting materials in terms of their formaldehyde emissions. This includes certified products like Structural Plywood, OSB, I-Joists, LVL, LSL, PSL, OSL, and Structural Glulam.
Sustainable Resources - The two primary organizations that recognize wood products for their use of sustainable raw materials are the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Products that comply with the requirements of these programs most often bear the trademark of the program. You may be eligible for green certification credits if your certification program recognizes the sustainable resources program certifying your building components.
Regional Materials - Wood products are manufactured in various locations across the USA and Canada. Determining the distance in statute miles from the manufacturing plant to your building location may allow you to earn credits for using regional materials. The product's location information is commonly located within the certification grademark, or can be determined by contacting the third-party certification provider with the mill number located within the grademark.

Green Building Resources

We have provided a page of some of the popular Green Building Resources for your use.

References

⁽¹⁾ BDCMAG. 2003. White Paper on Sustainability. Building Design & Construction Magazine (BDCMAG).